The Role of Vitamin D in Skeletal Muscle Repair and Regeneration in Animal Models and Humans: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency, prevalent worldwide, is linked to muscle weakness, sarcopenia, and falls. Muscle regeneration is a vital process that allows for skeletal muscle tissue maintenance and repair after injury. PubMed and Web of Science were used to search for studies published prior to May 2023. We assessed eligible studies that discussed the relationship between vitamin D, muscle regeneration in this review. Overall, the literature reports strong associations between vitamin D and skeletal myocyte size, and muscle regeneration. In vitro studies in skeletal muscle cells derived from mice and humans showed vitamin D played a role in regulating myoblast growth, size, and gene expression. Animal studies, primarily in mice, demonstrate vitamin D’s positive effects on skeletal muscle function, such as improved grip strength and endurance. These studies encompass vitamin D diet research, genetically modified models, and disease-related mouse models. Relatively few studies looked at muscle function after injury, but these also support a role for vitamin D in muscle recovery. The human studies have also reported that vitamin D deficiency decreases muscle grip strength and gait speed, especially in the elderly population. Finally, human studies reported the benefits of vitamin D supplementation and achieving optimal serum vitamin D levels in muscle recovery after eccentric exercise and surgery. However, there were no benefits in rotator cuff injury studies, suggesting that repair mechanisms for muscle/ligament tears may be less reliant on vitamin D. In summary, vitamin D plays a crucial role in skeletal muscle function, structural integrity, and regeneration, potentially offering therapeutic benefits to patients with musculoskeletal diseases and in post-operative recovery.